Like Chomp & Stomp Grimlock, his truck kibble from the back can accommodate One-Steps and Power Battlers (Both Hasbro and TakaraTomy), activating his various voice clips and flashing lights by interacting with the magnets in their feet. He is notably less kibbly than other AOE Optimus Primes...from the front, at least. The back and sides are not so promising with large chunks of Western Star truck kibble hanging off his legs, making him look as if he's wearing a petticoat. At least the jetpack helps balance the whole thing out....
Having been caught unaware by a surprise attack launched by the Decepticons, Optimus led his troops in a losing battle against their mortal enemies. Though Optimus managed to dispatch a few Decepticons, namely Thrust, whom he punched through the chest, he soon found himself crippled and surrounded by enemy forces. Praying to Primus as the Decepticons readied their weapons, Optimus heard Grimlock calling out to his fellow Dinobots to combine, prompting the Autobot leader to yell out a plead to Grimlock to stop. It was too late, however, and The Beast began rampaging, killing Autobots and Decepticons alike. Taking advantage of the situation nonetheless, Optimus tackled Megatron and began beating on the Decepticon leader. The tide of the battle now shifted, Optimus attempted to reach Grimlock’s consciousness within The Beast so that its mindless carnage could come to a halt. It didn't work. The Beast Within
While the Transformers animated series came to an end in America in 1987 after The Rebirth, production was continued in Japan with three new, exclusive animated series spin-offs to continue the story. The first of these series, Transformers: The Headmasters, supplanted the events of The Rebirth, picking up one year after the events that saw Optimus Prime's return to life.
After weeks of Decepticon silence, Optimus Prime decided to get proactive and sent out patrols all over the planet to try and flush the villains out. None of the patrols reported back with any success, however, and Prime realized that there was one area of the planet that his troops had deliberately ignored: the mysterious "Nebulos Triangle". Quickswitch, Scoop and Quickmix were sent into the Triangle, and they did indeed discover and foil the Decepticon plot going on in the area. Decepticons Underground
The 1992 and 1993 European and Canadian releases make up what is often called "Generation 1.5", much to the annoyance of many UK fans. These toys are similar in design to the Generation 2 Transformers, having lightpipe eyes, and pastel colors. The 1993 European figures used the G2 faction symbols which Hasbro UK designed because their licence on the G1 symbols had expired. The 1993 figures were repackaged for European G2 release in 1994, and three subgroup molds got used in the US G2 line.
Part of the first wave of Transformers: Robots in Disguise Hyperchange Heroes, Optimus Prime transforms from a futuristic trailer truck to robot in just 3 easy steps! His arms & legs serve as his trailer, while his chest serves as his truck front. He is also one of the few Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime toys which does not feature a faux window chest in robot mode. Both of his arms are articulated with 5mm holes in each hand.

Movie the Best Nemesis Prime is a redeco of the TakaraTomy exclusive Calibur Optimus Prime figure, with darker paint and plastic, and bright, metallic, purple eyes, and the mark of Quintessa on his face. As for the weapons, the Caliber Axe uses translucent purple plastic instead of orange, and there is more silver at the base of the blade. The Overshield has black replacing the original's silver and purple replacing the original's bronze.

3. Licensed themes: In the 80’s the Lego sets were more generic and interchangeable among themes. There were the basic Space, Town, Castle themes. The color schemes within a theme were more homogeneous (i.e. Blacktron sets or Mtron sets all had a common color scheme). Since there was no “fictional” real life object being copied, piece selection tended to emphasize versatility over “realism”. Almost every Lego set of the past had pictures of alternate models featured on the boxes and instructions that was meant to inspire a child to not just build the model featured in the instructions, but to embark on the mental challenge of making their own creations.

Later, Optimus pursued Megatron to Earth to stop him from pillaging the planet's energy resources. Prime's loyal team of Autobots clashed with Megatron's Predacons on many occasions, stopping their schemes with the aid of Koji, a human whose father had been abducted by the Predacons. Prime and Koji went on to form a strong friendship, although Prime blamed himself for Koji's father's abduction. Optimus proved his bravery on many occasions, battling and defeating Sky-Byte in an underwater duel and personally rescuing Side Burn from a Predacon trap. Later, when Megatron targeted a tanker truck to scan as the alternate mode of the final protoform, Optimus Prime leapt into action in order to save the truck's human driver and, as a result, the tanker, Prime and the human were all scanned. With an infusion of Megatron's spark energy to complete the concoction, Scourge was born, emerging from his pod as a dark twin of Optimus Prime. Prime's pleas to make Scourge remember his original Autobot loyalties fell on deaf ears.

The set also includes a redeco of Generations War for Cybertron Optimus Prime figure, which changes the original figure's dark red plastic to a brighter, more vibrant red, changes the gray plastic to a darker charcoal tone, changes the "windows" from gray to nearly black, and replaces most of the original figure's pink-ish red paint details (which were yellow on the redeco from the "Rage over Cybertron" three-pack) to teal.
This new smaller mold of Optimus Prime features a similar transformation to the original toy. Unlike most transformable figures in this line, Optimus completely lacks 5mm fist holes. Compared to the finalized toy, the product photo on the back of the box has a number of deco differences, most notably silver thighs and white accents above the front windows in addition to those below. The same box photo and the more deco-accurate stock photo (right) also neglect to fold out his fists, which is the only other step in his two-step transformation.

"Garbage Truck" is a redeco of the same Optimus Prime toy in blue and white, a common coloration for Japanese garbage trucks that bears ends up bearing a coincidental resemblance to the Bot Shots Polar Assault Team Optimus. His stickers now picture his truck mode being loaded with garbage, his truck mode driving around, and the word "cleaning" in both English and Japanese.

Once combined, DaiKenzan has three new phrases (spoken in Kenzan's voice), while DaiGekisou has four (in Gekisoumaru's voice). In either combined form, pressing and holding the button activates an additional, longer phrase for their "final attack". DaiGekisou is armed with a scissors-esque "shuriken" made from combining Optimus Exprime's two swords, while DaiKenzan simply wields them separately.

A minor redeco of Beast Hunters Voyager Class Optimus Prime that has the gray parts cast in a darker plastic shade, lacks the black paint operation for the Star Saber's hilt, changes the color of the side windows' paint operations from yellow to green, adds yellow paint operations for the headlights and lacks the silver paint operations above the front windows.

Part of the first wave of the 2015 Robots in Disguise line, Optimus Prime is a smaller-scale toy. He transforms from robot to trailer/truck combination and back! Like every Robots in Disguise Legion Class toy, Optimus features 3mm posts on his hands and arms. Due to the size and simplified transformation, he ends up having 6 wheels instead of 10. His scannable Autobot insignia is on his robot mode left shoulder. However, the badge is completely impossible to scan in vehicle mode.
At one time, Optimus Prime worked alongside Megatron, bringing order throughout dimensions with the power of SARA. But Megatron was ambitious, and sought to use SARA's power for his own ends. Optimus saved Metropolis from Megatron's rebellion, and the Autobots banished Megatron from Metropolis. Optimus Prime remained behind as the leader of the Autobots. Fate As head of the space-time guardians residing in Cloud World's Metropolis, he was a valiant and powerful leader who commanded the utmost respect from his subordinates. Optimus Prime stood for peace and freedom for all sentient beings in all of time and space. His sense of responsibility in this regard was a bit too great for his own good, as it often left him worrying about things outside of his control.
Optimus Prime is armed with two large rifles formed out of a combination of both smokestacks and fuel tanks. These rifles peg onto his lower arms with grips for his open hands. The under-slung fuel tanks can fire spring-loaded projectiles. In vehicle mode, both smokestack rifles can be deployed as twin cannons, and this mechanism can also be used to store the rifles and deploy them as shoulder guns in robot mode.
Prime is armed with a spring-loaded missile launcher that stores on the rear of his truck mode (which becomes the backpack of his robot mode) when not in use. Like most of the weapons of the Energon line, it sports a 5mm post, allowing it to be held by most every Enegon figure, to combine with assorted other weapons and Energon weapons released in the series, and to peg into numerous compatible ports shared by many figures, like the hole in the radar of Prime's own trailer, or even conveniently placed 5mm screw holes like those of the Prime Force.

Labeled as a "Triple Changer", Striker Optimus is a redeco and retool of Dark of the Moon Supreme Class Jetwing Optimus Prime, with new weapons. The base figure has most of the same mold changes as Jetwing Optimus Prime (see below), but has been altered further; in particular, the transforming smokestacks and fuel tanks/ion blaster parts have been replaced with retooled regular tanks that now function as mounts for the new accessories. The colors on the toy are darker than Jetwing Optimus, with a different flame deco that extends farther along the sides of the toy. Additionally, two new 5mm holes have been added to the gray hinge behind the cab in order to accommodate the Toys R Us Japan-exclusive battle blade accessories. The "I am Optimus Prime" saying of Buster Optimus Prime has also been replaced with the "We must stop the Decepticons!" saying of 2010 Transformers Optimus Prime, although batteries are not included.

The Autobots continued to guard humanity in secret for many years, until one day in the 21st century when Ratchet was captured by a human group known as Skylogic Systems. Upon investigating the organization, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee came into contact with the Lone Gunmen, three humans who were also on Skylogic's tail for their role in creating a dangerous virus. Learning from them that Ratchet's DNA was part of the concoction, the Autobots joined forces with the humans and helped track down David Simmons, the man responsible for releasing the virus. One interrogation later and they had the address to the Skylogic base, though Prime's size prevented him from easily infiltrating the building, so he left the rescue mission up to Bumblebee and the Gunmen. Once Ratchet was saved, the Autobots parted company with their new human friends in an attempt to lure away any Skylogic pursuers. The X-Files: Conspiracy: The Transformers

IDW's Transformers Collectors Club exclusive comic story, Revelations part 6, is set after the defeat of Galvatron, but before Optimus Prime's mission to start a new Space Bridge project. In this story, the Autobots from the IDW series Robots in Disguise, Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Sentinel Maximus, Downshift, Perceptor, Alpha Trion, Over-Run, Anti-Blaze, Checkpoint, and Scythe, meet the Autobots from the animated series, Cybertron Optimus Prime, Jetfire, Override, Scattorshot, Red Alert, Hot Shot, Lori, Bud, and Coby Hansen, and thank each other and remembering those who were lost in the battles.[40]

Multiple reports suggest that the toy suffers from a design flaw, inferior plastic quality, or both: Due to his hands having peg-holes that are a bit too small to accommodate 5mm posts, they have a tendency to show stress marks on the inside after pegging his sword handle (or most other pegs) inside. Stress marks also tend to appear near his tiny hinged wrists. Fortunately, there have been no reports of the hands actually breaking on either location thus far.

A later prototype/mock-up was much closer to the final product but still has some noticeable differences, such as a head with much larger antennae, longer smokestacks and a front grille section that includes the rectangular section that would sport the "Freightliner" logo on the real-life truck (on the final toy, the rectangular section is part of the hinged upper section that includes the windows). It would have also been possible to attach the ion blaster to either of his shoulders.[12]
In the aftermath, Victorion believed trying to find the Requiem Blaster was a fool's errand, and that they should have been preparing Optimus Prime's funeral instead. The Swamp Megatron often thought of Optimus, noting the similarities between him and Optimus Primal Primal and wondering what his old rival would think of his heroic exploits. Consequences Ultimately, thanks to his connection to the Matrix and the Primes, Optimus's spark was freed from the Well and revived after Megatronus's defeat, to the joy of his companions. Mourning the sacrifice of Megatron, whom he considered a brother, he commended Optimal Optimus for being a fine choice as the new Matrix-bearer, and began teaching him the ways of Cybertron, promising to support him in his new leadership role. Saga's End
Rodimus appeared in the text-based fiction Dungeons & Dinobots as one of the Autobots who attacked the Arch-Ayr fuel dump. Sent to capture rogue Dinobots for the Autobots, he was part of the group that captured Swoop. Together with Blurr, he then tracked Grimlock, but ran into competition with the Decepticon allies Sideswipe and Cliffjumper. After Grimlock bit off his left hand Ratchet replaced it with a circular saw (a reference to one of the original Rodimus' melee weapons in The Transformers: The Movie).

Thanks to Hasbro on their official site, which can be accessed by clicking any of the images below, we have news of 2 new members of the Energon Igniters class of figures, along with new images of 3 more! Up first, we have the 2 new reveals: Power Plus Soundwave and Ironhide! Soundwave looks a lot like he did in the movie, with a G1-esque robot mode, and a new van mode that is very Animated-esque, complete with a totally metal image of a jaguar and bird of prey on the side, evoking - Read More

One more thought: LEGO is a Danish company. The fluctuations in the price of LEGO such as the big bump around 1985-7 in Figures 1 and 2 could be because of a change in exchange rates. The conversion rate between the Danish Kronor and the US$ went from over 10 in 83 and 84 to less than 7 in 86 and 87. LEGO might have been slow to respond to changes in exchange rates, leading to the temporary bump. If you’d like to share data we can redo your graphs in DKK.
Very well written piece. It is very expensive, but as seems to be the trend on here, I would agree you are paying for the quality with LEGO. I like that they have provided the opportunity for adults to build sets with the LEGO Modular buildings range, those sets use real architectural techniques in their construction and are really quite impressive.
Optimus Prime is the fictional protagonist of the Transformers: Robots in Disguise (Fire Convoy in the original Japanese version) branch of the Transformers universe.[38] Based on the character of the same name, Prime once again leads the Autobots against the Decepticons. His voice actor, Neil Kaplan, does his voice in a style reminiscent of that of Peter Cullen, the voice of the original Optimus Prime. Wired Magazine nominated Fire Convoy as one 12 most ridiculous Transformers ideas of all time.[39]
Part of the sixth wave of Custom Kreons, and the first (and only) Robots in Disguise-themed wave, Optimus Prime uses the new 2015 Kreon construction with the hollow waist-peg and "raised" hands.. He comes with a buildable parts rack on which to hang/store his extra pieces. Unlike the previous Custom Kreons, he no longer features a chromed helmet, and comes with an extra clear-plastic helmet, torso, legs, and his arms, plus a chromed Bazooka (originally from the Kre-O Battleship sets), and some kind of a dual pick-axe with a clear red staff.
With Season One of Cyberverse drawn to a close, we have word of a newly-listed Cyberverse DVD currently available for pre-order. Titled ‘Transformers Cyberverse: The Journey’, the anthology consists of 66 minutes of product, which can only be assumed to consist of the first six episodes, given the DVD’s plot synopsis and the title of the collection corresponding to the show’s fourth episode, ‘The Journey’. The DVD itself is listed here by New Zealand based online retailer - Read More

Part of the first wave of Beast Hunters Series 3 Voyager Class toys, Optimus Prime is functionally an upsized copy of his Beast Hunters Series 3 Cyberverse toy, though with certain sculpted details based on his larger toys, the replacement of his ball joints with more robust ratchet joints, the addition of thigh swivels, and various deco differences. As a result, his complexity is lower than in his previous Voyager Class toys, but he ends up being much, much more massive.

With Season One of Cyberverse drawn to a close, we have word of a newly-listed Cyberverse DVD currently available for pre-order. Titled ‘Transformers Cyberverse: The Journey’, the anthology consists of 66 minutes of product, which can only be assumed to consist of the first six episodes, given the DVD’s plot synopsis and the title of the collection corresponding to the show’s fourth episode, ‘The Journey’. The DVD itself is listed here by New Zealand based online retailer - Read More

Undeniably, the most iconic of Bumblebee’s alternate modes is his original: the small but always reliable classic yellow Volkswagen Beetle. It was evocative of his personality, always striving to go above and beyond what everyone perceived to be the limits of his size. These days, thanks to the Michael Bay live-action movie franchise, he’s known as a modern Chevrolet Camaro, which looks cool but as a strong muscle car deviates from his personality. At least it’s still yellow? Bay says he didn’t want him to be a Beetle anymore because there was already an iconic movie Beetle: Herbie the Love Bug.

As he and Prowl discussed the wisdom of evacuating, a huge explosion obliterated the Forum of Enlightenment. Optimus led a team there, realising that the destruction was a message from Megatron. Leaving his team, he ventured underground, encountering Shrapnel, who blasted him into a pit. The War Within #2 Exploring the underground, Prime had a strange vision of a transparent version of himself, which warned that he had to grasp Cybertron's significance. Then he was attacked by Soundwave and the Insecticons, whom he was able to easily best by using the labyrinthine environment to his advantage. He then felt himself led to a confrontation against Megatron, and both faction leaders met atop of a bridge, overlooking a deep abyss. Starscream blasted the bridge Optimus and Megatron were standing on, plunging them into the chasm. The War Within #3 Recovering, Prime heard another disembodied voice telling him about Cybertron. Before he could look for a way out, Megatron found him, and informed him about the true nature of the Matrix, telling Optimus how it could be used to power Cybertron's planetary engines, transforming it into a space-faring war-world. This spurred Optimus to fight back, but before long, Megatron took control of the battle, smashing his fist into Prime's chest to get at the Matrix. A blaze of light enveloped the pair, who found themselves abruptly on 20th century Earth. The War Within #4
TFcon has announced their latest guest update: Bill Ratner! People will recognize Ratner as the voice of Dashiell Faireborn in the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon. He is also better known by his code name Flint in G.I. Joe. TFcon 2019 is earlier than normal, taking place in Los Angeles, California from March 15-17. The guest roll call already includes Michael Bell, Neil Ross, Alan Oppenheimer, Paul Eiding, Arthur Burghardt, Michael Horton, Morgan Lofting, Jack Lawrence, Alex Milne, Donald - Read More

Limited to 10 pieces, this gold chrome redeco of Evasion Mode Optimus Prime is released as part of the Transformers Battle Command Campaign given away to ten winners via a lucky draw. The initial phase for entry was operated in July 2014, when those wishing to enter the draw had to mail in the proof of purchase from the Takara-Tomy Lost Age Optimus Prime. The actual mailing out of prizes was to take place in November 2014.

Based on his appearance in War for Cybertron, Generations Optimus Prime transforms from a red, blue, and silver robot into an "armored truck mode." He comes with a hand-held rifle that is held via either of its two 5mm posts, and can fold up to store in either mode. He features additional 5mm ports on his forearms, roof, and front-wheel panels. Optimus has a stylized sculpted Autobot insignia on his back, as seen in the game, but it is obscured by kibble.
Like the original figure, Powermaster Prime is composed of two major components: his truck cab, which transforms into Prime himself, and his trailer, which is essentially a heavily-armed version of the original. The trailer has a fold-down ramp to allow the storage of a smaller Transformer, or perhaps spare accessories. The trailer transforms into a battle station armed with two long black rifles and two grey double-barreled cannons (featuring seating for Powermaster engine figures), all of which Optimus Prime can also wield in his fists.